Agave (pronounced uh-gah-vay) syrup comes from a Mexican cactus-like plant and is used as a supposedly healthier alternative to sugar. It can be purchased in your local health food store as a table top sweetener that you add to food on your own, and it's also showing up in a lot of new food and beverage products as a "natural" sweetener.

Here's a quick comparison of agave syrup to sugar. Sugar and agave are both poor sources of nutrition and both have minimal antioxidant activity. Sugar is 16 calories per teaspoon; agave is 20 calories per teaspoon. Sugar is 50% fructose; agave is 90% fructose, and this 90% is substantically more fructose than in high fructose corn syrup. It's important to note that some studies suggest that large amounts of fructose increase the risk of diabetes by increasing the likelyhood of insulin resistance. Fructose also boosts trigylcerides and lowers HDL (the "healthy" cholesterol). UC Berkeley says that "consuming agave syrup just adds to your fructose load."

What's more, despite the markeing hype, agave syrup isn't even natural because it typically undergoes a refining process that's similar to the one used to make high fructose corn syrup. Some agave products are actually diluted with high fructose corn syrup to increase sweetness.

The bottom line: agave syrup is just another form of processed and concentrated sugar.